Cableway



" M. H. DICKINSON "CABLEWAY Fil'ed Nov 6 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTQR V ATTORNEYS Feb. 19 1924. 1,484,387

' M. H. DICKINSON GABLEWAY Filed Nov. 6, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 19, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,484,387 PATENT OFFICE;

MERIAN H. DICKINSON, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO LIDGERWOOD MAN- UFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK. v

CABLEWAY. V

' Application filed November 6, 1920. Serial No. 422,118. v

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MERIAN H. DICKIN- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and btate of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in (Jableways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in cableways of that general character or type wherein a cable is supported or held by suitable means at its ends and also by one or more supports intermediate its ends, and more particularly contemplates a novel carriage construction for use "in connection with such cableways.

The invention consists in the improvements to be more fully described hereinafter and the novelty of which will be particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

I have fully and clearly illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawings to be taken as a part of this specification and wherein- Figure l is a side view, illustrating diagrammatically, a cableway embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the intermediate support of the oableway; V

Fig. 3 is an end view of a saddle for the intermediate support;

Fig. 4: is a side view of the saddle;

Fig. 5 is a side View of a' carriage em bodying one form of my invention;

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the carriage showing the main cable in cross-section;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the carriage;

Fig. 8 is a plan viewof the supporting arms for retainer sheaves and the associated parts, and Y Fig. 9 is a sectional detail view of a portion of the mechanism by which the retainer sheave is held in position.

Referring to the drawings bycharacters ofreference, 10 designates a main cable passing over a head tree or tower 11 and a tail tree or tower 12, respectively, and anchored suitably at its ends, the anchor at the tail tower being shown at 13. it will be understood that the cable may be held at its ends by any suitable well-known means, that shown being merely by way of example for purposes of illustration. The respective trees or towers are preferably held in position by suitable ys 14. The main cable is supported at an intermediate point by an intermediate support, indicated generally at 15, and comprisinga mast or spar 15 which is held in position by suitably anchoredguys 16. From the intermediate support is suspended a saddle 17 comprising preferably a curved depending hanger arm 18 suspended flexibly from the topof the said mast by any suitable suspension, as at 19. The sad.- dle also comprises a cable-supporting plate or member 20 on a bolt 21 inthe lower end, of the arm 18, said plate being arranged on the bolt between a vertical face 21* :on the arm 18 and a nut 21 threaded. on the end of saidbolt. upper edge with a longitudinal groove 22 in which the main cable is seated and rests by its weight. The upper face of the plate 20 is formed on a gradual or shallow convex curve, whereas the lower edge or face .is oppositely tapered from an intermediate point adjacent its pivotal support toward its ends, as shown at 20, whereby the supporting plate is wedge-shaped at its ends. The carriage embodying my present invention is constructed so as to travel freely on the cable 1, and to pass the said inter mediate support without being displaced from the cable, and for this purpose includes The plate 20 is provided at its I an'open-sided skeleton frame 24, the upper portion of which ,is offset to onelside, as at 25, to provide an open space through which the main cable passes, and which permits the carriage to pass the saddle forming part of the intermediate support. The carriage efficient-means for preventing displacement of -the carriage from the cable during traversing movements of the carriage, which means is constructednot only to pass freely the intermediate support for the cable, but

also acts when passing said support topr event displacement of the carriage. This retaining means comprises one or more V V.

rollers, preferably grooved sheaves, arranged with the axis thereof normallyyextending beneath the cable, and so located as to cooperate with the running sheaves as to en close the cable so that the latter cannot pass from between said running and retaining sheaves. The retaining sheaves are so mounted that they normally cooperate with the running sheaves during the traversing movement of the cable between supports to enclose the cable, and when the carriage is inth'e act of pas'singthe intermediate support to be moved away from the cable to permit the support for the latter to pass be tween the running and retaining sheaves, but in such manner that said retaining sheaves cooperate with the support to pre vent displacement of the carriage from the cable. Also according to the preferred em bodiment of my invention, I contemplate means for rotating'or driving the retainer sheave or sheaves at or before the time of impact with the supporting member f the saddle so that the retainer sheave or sheaves will 'berotating at the time of engagement with the saddle, and will, therefore, ride easily beneath said supporting member in rolling engagement therewith, said sheaves being preferably rotated at such speed that when they strike the said member, they ride the same without slippage. In the present embodiment, I have illustrated two retainer sheaves, one at either end of the carriage, and as bothsheaves and associated parts are the same, I will describe but one of them. The retainer sheave 28 has its bearings at 29 in the bifurcated end 30 of an arm 30, the opposite end of which is provided with a hub 30 which issecured to a horizontal shaft 31 having its bearings in the frame 24; of the carriage.

secured on the shaft 31 (seelfig. 8) to the A second arm- 32 is also end of-which arm is pivoted the lower end of an upwardly 'extending stem 33, the lower end of which is preferably bifurcated, as

A coiled expansion spring surrounds the stem 33 and is located in an opening 35 of the frame and seated at its lower end on the frame, as at 36. The upper end of the spring engages a follower plate 37: which is held in position on the stem 33 by a nut or nuts 38 by which the position of the plate may be adjusted to regulate the force of the spring. The upper end of the] stem 33 is preferably received in an opening in the frame, as at 39, which forms a guide therefor. The spring 3 L normally exerts its force to move the plate 37 and the stem 33 upwardly and thereby lifts the retainer sheave 28 into frictional driving engagement with the periphery ofthe main cable sheave 26. Preferably, the retainer sheave is made of a greater thickness than the main cable sheave26, as shown in Fig; 6, and is preferably formed with an- -'nular shoulders 28 at either side of the within the outer periphery of the other, as

in the embodiment illustrated, the main cable sheave engaging the retainer 'sheave within the outer periphery of the lattei,"will maintain the two sheaves in alignment and close about the main cable'and normally prevent the carriage from jumping the cable. Buffer springs 40 are preferably interposed between the web of the frame on which the springs are seated and the bifurcated lower'end of the stems 33 to prevent shock when the retainer sheaves are elevated by the springs 34 after leaving the supporting plate 20. The springs &0 may conveniently be secured to the frame by screws40 passing through end slots Q0 in said springs 40. In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the operation is as follows: "When the carriage is located between one of the end supports and the intermediate support '15, the elements of tie carriage are in the position and relation shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawlngs, in which the sprmgs 34 exert their forces to lift the arms 30 so as to place the retainer sheaves in position to contact the peripheries of the running sheaves 26, whereby the cable is enclosed between the peripheries of the sheaves, and the retainer sheaves are driven by the'running sheaves. The relation just described is that maintained by the preferred embodiment during normal travel ofthe carriage between the intermediate and end supports. When the carriage approaches the member'QO, the retainer sheave at .the end of the carriage approaching said member will strike the end of the inclined face 20* and while rotatably driven will roll on said face, the

latter acting by its wedgingaction to move the retainer sheave downwards against the force of itsspring 3 so thatthe support may pass between the running and retainer sheaves, but at thesame time the said spring serves to hold the retainer sheave in on gagement with the under face of the member 20 and thereby prevents displacementsof. the carriage while passing thesupport.

face toward the tapering end of the member 20, all the time urged upward by'the' It will be liner? travelling down one inclined face 2O the sheave runs upon the oppositely inclined will be returned by the spring to its normal running position. It will be understood that the above operation takes place as to bothretaining sheaves in succession as they pass the support no matter in which direction the carriage is travelling;

In the embodiment here illustrated, a hoisting and inhaul cable 41 is wound upon the drum 42 of an engine 43 at the head tower. The hoisting and inhaul cable passes over a sheave 44 having its bearings at 45 in the lower ends of the arms 46, the upper ends of which are pivoted to the frame of the carriage, as at 47. The end of the hoisting and inhaul cable is shown attached to a log 48 constituting the load. In the form shown, an outhaul cable 49 is wound upon the drum 50 on the engine, and passes over a sheave 50 on the head tower and over a sheave 51 on the tail tower, the end of the outhaul cable being attached, at 52, to an arm 52 which may conveniently be pivoted at 47 to the carriage. It will be understood that in practice the sheave 51 is ofi'set laterally from the tail tower in order to bring the outhaul cable out of alignment with the carriage and prevent its fouling the same. In the device here illustrated, a slack-pulling cable 53 is wound upon the drum 54 on the engine and passes over a sheave 55 having its hearings on the pin 47 of the carriage. The end of the slack-pulling cable is attached at 56 to the hoisting and inhaul cable 41. A counterweight 57 is preferably secured to the open side of the frame, as indicated in Figs. 6 and 7, for the purpose of holding the carriage plumb, but this weight may be omitted if desired.

By causing the flanges of the retainer sheave to engage the flanges of the main cable sheave, it is possible to make the flanges of the main cable sheave of considerable depth, so that when the device is used in logging operations for fside lining, that is, when logs are dragged from the sides of the cableway, the carriage, including the main running sheave, is tilted, thereby causing the side of the flange of the main cable sheave to engage the cable.

tion would not be possible if the parts were constructed and arranged so that the retainer sheave directly engaged the main cable. 7

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A cableway carriage comprising a frame, a running sheave and a retainer sheave, the flangesof said retainer sheave engaging the flanges of said running sheave and rotatable solely thereby, whereby said retainer sheave is driven by said running sheave.

Such an opera- 2. A. cableway carriage comprising a main ing member, a carriage adapted to move along said cable and comprising a cable sheave and a retainer sheave yieldingly held in engagement with said cable sheave and rotatable solely thereby and adapted .to ride beneath said cable-supporting member, whereby said retainer sheave is rotated during the normal movement of the carriage and at the time it strikes said cable-supporting member.

. MERIAN H. DICKINSON. 

